If you don't know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.
Yogi Berra
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Over the past month, I have written about disruption and it’s impact on business (see http://www.cmc-canada.ca/blogs/jac-van-beek/2015/09/02/you-are-here; http://www.cmc-canada.ca/blogs/jac-van-beek/2015/08/18/embracing-disruption; http://www.cmc-canada.ca/blogs/jac-van-beek/2015/04/08/the-effects-of-a-volatile-economy-on-management-consulting). I cannot remember when we did not have disruption but it seems to have become more pervasive, more complex and harder to ignore. Uncertainty is becoming a way of life and an business environment condition that we need to factor into our plans.
I see evidence of one of the more recent unexpected shifts about thirty times a day when I drive by all those big signs announcing dollar a litre gas. It is a bit of paradise indeed for those disconnected from the energy sector and commuters used to watching their credit cards inflate or bank accounts grow leaner as the month progresses.
However, economics has a nasty way of balancing things out. Canada’s economy has benefited greatly from relatively high wellhead prices in the past decade. With a rapid decline in oil prices, Alberta government and private sector revenues have disappeared overnight and so have the prospects for many ancillary and related service businesses. There are enough experts suggesting that we are in a recession of sorts to suggest that perhaps we are in an economic trough.
Our national narrative has changed dramatically over the past year. We are watching an election campaign that has re-calibrated for recession policies, arguments over whether we are in a recession and more than enough blame to go around. The economic prospects for Alberta are sometimes lost in the noise of politicking and spinning. We have decided to do the right thing. CMC-Alberta and CMC-Canada have organized a national conference on November 5th in Edmonton that looks more closely at the economic and business impacts.
A dialectic (discussion, debate, dialogue) with our roster of accomplished analysts, observers and market participants will help you investigate the truth of the many theories being tossed about on our television sets and in the media that we consume daily.
These are indeed challenging times. Management consultants are usually asked to play leadership roles themselves and chart the courses that enable the leaders of our organizations to lead. To play our part, we need to better understand these times and the many dimensions of our collective challenges. It may stem from a calamitous drop in oil prices but we have to be preparing to use our skills differently, adopt new ways of looking at and resolving issues while helping our clients lead their organizations to stability and prosperity.
Register today ! Listen to the evidence, draw your own conclusions and chart your path.
